Coalition of NGOs calls on the RSPO, Malaysian Government and international buyers for an open investigation into The Wall Street Journal’s findings FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Emma Rae Lierley, Emma@ran.org, (425) 281 - 1989 July 27, 2015 (San Francisco, CA) - On the heels of a major investigative article from The Wall Street Journal exposing serious human rights and labor abuses in Malaysian grower Felda Global Venture’s plantations, a coalition of civil society groups is calling on the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) for an open investigation into...

Last month, Bank of America published its 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, which addressed the bank’s financing policies and practices in detail. This blog post looks back on the bank’s release of its updated coal policy in May, and looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the policy update and what it means for the banking sector’s financing of coal more broadly. Overall: Bank of America’s new coal policy is both groundbreaking and imperfect. It acknowledges that the bank has a responsibility not only to finance the transition to low-carbon energy but also to cut financing for high-carbon...

In this era of clicktavism, it can be incredibly hard to understand the impact that signing an online petition can have. It feels like our support disappears into the ether – sometimes landing on the ears of people who are ready to make changes, sometimes not. But, when those petitions are directly in support of specific communities and their struggles, those signatures can have a direct, and powerful, impact.

As part of RAN's work to call on banks to commit to the Paris Pledge and end financing for coal and coal-fired power prior to the Paris climate summit this year, we'll be highlighting case studies of destructive coal projects around the world. This case study, authored by Greig Aitken from BankTrack highlights the Rampal coal plant planned for Bangladesh, which would have devastating impacts on communities, a World Heritage-listed mangrove forest, and the climate. Just last month, three of France’s largest banks (BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, and Société Génerale) committed to refrain from financing the project. Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to climate change. When powerful storm surges hit this low lying country, the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, provides a natural barrier which protects hundreds of thousands of lives. But this could change if a joint venture between India’s National Thermal Power...

“What Does ______ Have to Do with Rainforests?!”This week, RAN posted a message of support on Facebook about the courageous civil disobedience by Bree Newsome in South Carolina. And, as a testament to the social justice leanings of our community, our post was met with...

Nissin Foods is one of the Snack Food 20 companies in RAN’s Conflict Palm Oil Campaign, and is lagging far behind the rest of the group with a weak palm oil commitment that relies solely on the inadequate Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification system and lacks requirements for suppliers to end destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights. We were headed to their offices to make sure that our campaign demands were seen and heard by the folks who work at the there.